The present invention relates to conveyor sortation systems and, in particular, to an induct supply system for supplying product to a sorter assembly.
High-speed sorters, such as of the type disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,510 and published International Application WO 02/26602 A2, published Apr. 4, 2002, are capable of sorting product, such as containers, and the like, at high rates of speed, such as 200 and even 300 16-inch cartons per minute. At that rate, it becomes a challenge to supply cartons to the sorter at a sufficiently high rate and properly gapped in order to be sorted. If product is not supplied to the sorter at a sufficiently high rate, the theoretical throughput of the system may not be realized.
Several induction systems are known in the art. Examples include those described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,038,911 and 5,267,638. Such induction systems are effective, but concentrate the merging and gapping of the cartons at the point immediately upstream of the sorter. Moreover, variation in product flow rate is accommodated by accumulation conveyors in each line upstream of the merge. Accumulation conveyors have difficulty handling product at a speed, or rate, that is high enough to keep the sorter assembly from becoming starved for product. If the speed of the accumulation conveyors is increased, it may reach a point where the handling of product in an organized single file becomes difficult.